1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to sports training aids, specifically to the sport of golf as it teaches the practitioner to use an “intermediate target” to improve his or her putting, chipping, and long shots.
2. Prior Art
For a practitioner to be successful in golf, he or she must have a functional and repeatable golf swing or stroke, have accurate alignment, and have confidence in his or her swing or stroke and alignment.
To aid the practitioner with the swing or stroke, and alignment, numerous devices have been invented.
One functional type of invention to aid the practitioner with his or her stroke is that where the device attaches directly to the club. U.S. Pat. No. 6,450,893 to Vincent Primiano and Alfred Ganer, U.S. Pat. No. 6,371,864 to John M. Norwood, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,123,626 to Brian S. Osborn are all examples of the functional type of invention that attaches directly to the golf club. Devices in this functional type perform very well in aiding the practitioner to get his or her golf club aligned with the target. But, the problem with this devise is that as the golf club moves, the alignment references move. With any movement, alignment is lost and the swing or stroke becomes improper and inconsistent because the practitioner is left guessing about his or her alignment reference points.
The other functional type of invention to aid the practitioner with his or her stroke is that where the device sits behind the golfer or behind the golf cup. U.S. Pat. No. 6,213,887 to William Carney, U.S. Pat. No. 6,036,608 to John K. Morris, U.S. Pat. No. 5,818,036 to John Daly, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,238,298 to David Chen are all examples of the functional type of invention that displays a line from the golfer to the golf cup. Devices that use this functionality overcome the problem of interrupted alignment for the golf practitioner, but there is a functional problem with the golfer focusing on the continuous line. With a device that constantly shows a straight line from the golf cup to the golf ball, the practitioner's focus is misplaced. His or her focus is concentrated on making the ball roll along the line without the slightest deviation from that line. Once the practitioner has “stuck” the ball with the club, he or she has no more control over whether or not the ball continues perfectly upon the line, thus the practitioner's goal of consistently making the ball roll continually upon the line is both misplaced and unachievable.
In both situations, inconsistent achievement of desired results leads to a failure of confidence and that is an ultimate result of flawed training aids. A training aid that overcomes these two shortcomings is needed to help the golf practitioner become a better golfer.